MEDIA COURTHOUSE — The driver of a Ram 2500 pickup truck that crashed into a car in February, killing 45-year-old Deana Eckman, entered an open guilty plea Thursday to homicide by vehicle while driving under the influence and related offenses.

David Strowhouer, 30, of the 2400 block of Woodside Lane in the Newtown Square section of Willistown Township, also pleaded to murder of the third degree, two counts of aggravated assault, accidents involving death or injury, DUI and driving with a suspended license for the Feb. 16 crash on Route 452 in Upper Chichester.

Strowhouer faces a seven-year mandatory minimum for the homicide by vehicle charge, a six-month mandatory minimum for the DUI, and a combined maximum sentence of 85 years in prison with a $132,500 fine at sentencing, set for Nov. 14 before Delaware County Court of Common Pleas Judge Mary Alice Brennan.

- Advertisement -

“This man has caused a lot of damage to the Eckman and DeRosa families, and we expect that to be reflected in a lengthy period of incarceration in a state institution,” said Senior Deputy District Attorney Dan McDevitt after the hearing.

The crash occurred about 9:30 p.m., when Strowhouer crossed a double yellow line and slammed head-on into the 2019 Subaru WRX Chris and Deana Eckman were driving. Authorities allege Strowhouer’s blood-alcohol level at the time was 0.199 and he had traces of cocaine, diazepam and marijuana in his system.

Online court records indicate Strowhouer had five prior DUIs on his record since 2010 and was on probation for a previous offense at the time of the crash.

Strowhouer pleaded guilty to his third and fourth DUIs at the same time in Chester County Oct. 2, 2017, and was given a total sentence of 18 to 36 months in state prison. Later that same month, he pleaded to a fifth DUI before Brennan in Delaware County for DUI: controlled substance – combination alcohol/drug as a third offense. The sentence in the Delaware County case was allowed to run concurrent to the Chester County sentence.

Eckman’s father, Richard DeRosa was critical Thursday of how the prior DUI cases were handled by parole boards, which he said failed to take into account the totality of Strowhouer’s past misdeeds.

Eckman’s mother, Roseann DeRosa, said following the plea that she was happy Strowhouer at least saved the family from having to go through a trial.

“It was bad enough today hearing some of the horrific details and I think it’s better for our family that he did plead guilty, locked in the murder-three charge,” she said.

“It was the right thing to do,” said her husband. “He really had no other choice because of the evidence that they have against him. As narcissistic as the guy is, I was surprised to see how he folded and pleaded guilty to all those charges.”

Strowhouer, manacled in a blue prison jumpsuit, offered no emotion as defense attorney Brian Malloy read off the charges and explained his rights, only staring straight ahead and robotically offering “yes” or “no” answers.

Roseann and Richard DeRosa clung to each other surrounded by friends and family, including Chris Eckman, as McDevitt entered pieces of evidence into the record that would have been part of the trial.

Among them was a series of video clips of Strowhouer throughout the day as captured by a security camera mounted outside the family home.

One video taken at 8:51 p.m. showed Strowhouer falling down the outside steps before staggering toward the truck and getting into the driver’s side door. His brother, William Strowhouer III, is seen getting into the passenger side, followed by sister-in-law Margaret running up to the truck and then returning to the house.

The truck, facing away from the camera across the street, appears to be running with its taillights on in the video. After William Strowhouer exits and heads back to the house, the truck quickly reverses, nearly striking him and a car parked in the driveway before driving off.

William Strowhouer III testified at a preliminary hearing in March that he did not see his brother drinking alcohol that day, but alcohol had been available. He said the two brothers sat in the truck with the engine running and had “a brotherly talk” about not spending enough time together. William Strowhouer III said he exited the truck but David, who was in the driver’s seat, assured him that he wasn’t going anywhere.

Margaret Strowhouer also previously testified that she was outside when she saw David put the truck in reverse. She yelled to her husband to get out of the way as her brother-in-law sped off at about 9 p.m.

William and Margaret Strowhouer testified they repeatedly called and texted David, who was driving with a suspended license due to his multiple prior DUIs.

“We begged him to come back … and he laughed it off,” testified Margaret. “We begged him to stop what he was doing.”

Strowhouer was heading southbound on Route 452 and tailgating a white minivan driven by Larry Weathers after crossing through the intersection with Meeting House Road. Weathers, who remained on the scene following the crash, said Thursday that he felt the truck was trying to run him off the road and at one point he thought that he was going to die.

At the same time, Chris and Deana Eckman were heading northbound on Route 452, approaching a railroad bridge over the crest of a hill. As the white minivan reached the bridge heading southbound, Strowhouer applied 100% pressure to the accelerator pedal, getting up to speeds of 78 miles per hour, and crossed the double-yellow lines to enter oncoming traffic as he attempted to pass Weathers’ minivan, McDevitt said.

The Ram was traveling at 69 miles per hour when it collided head-on with the Subaru, according to McDevitt. Deana Eckman was killed instantly from blunt force trauma, and her husband suffered a broken pelvis.

Strowhouer initially fled the scene, but later approached Patrolman Matthew McCusker, who was conducting a search of the area, and said he had been a passenger in the truck and was wearing his seatbelt.

Strowhouer, smelling of alcohol, initially told investigators his cousin was the driver, but further investigation revealed that cousin was actually in Puerto Rico at the time. McDevitt also noted the truck’s passenger-side seatbelt was retracted and locked in position, indicating it was not in use at the time of the crash.

“I think the sad part is that people under the influence of not just alcohol, but drugs, can get back on the road regardless of any penalty or rehab he’s already been through … and in this case a young woman lost her life,” said Weathers. “It’s sad. It’s very sad.”

“Losing a child, you never, ever, ever recover from it,” said Roseann DeRosa. “It’s like you’re going through stages of reality and denial, and they come in moments that you think that she’s here and then you realize she’s not. It’s an everyday thing. But it’s not for just us, it has affected our whole entire family.”

“Every day you wake up and you think, ‘Is this the day the nightmare is over?’ and it never is,” said Richard DeRosa.

Richard and his wife described their daughter as a funny, loving and giving woman who was the center of attention wherever she went.

“She touched the hearts of so many people,” said Roseann DeRosa. “She was just a great person. Everybody loved her.”

State Sen. Tom Killion, R-9 of Middletown, has proposed “Deana’s Law” in the wake of her death, which he said would substantially increase penalties for drivers with multiple DUI convictions and those who consistently drive drunk with high Blood-Alcohol Content levels.

Roseann DeRosa said Thursday that she also hopes to amend DUI laws to include a provision that the vehicle itself can be classified as a deadly weapon, similar to laws already on the books in other states.

“(Strowhouer) had no regard for human life that night or any of the other times that he was driving,” she said. “I hope that her (Deana’s) law will help. If it saves one life, it will be a miracle.”